Times Editorial : Flagging support
Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/nwat/Editorial/65045/
People have a hard time admitting the realities that make their guilty pleasures possible. The answer ? Cover up the truth as best we can.
The examples are endless. Americans want authorities to take immigration enforcement seriously— right up until we read about families in our community being torn apart. Our culture simply adores fried foods — but the plant where countless animals meet a gruesome end is the last place most people want to visit. We complain that ours has become a couch potato nation — then we go home and lose ourselves in escapist technologies as quickly as the next guy.
Cell phone towers may be among the most obvious examples of this phenomena. Oftentimes you’ll catch somebody complaining about these obtrusive nuisances that jut into the sky with increasing frequency. Usually this barking occurs moments before the complainer’s own cell phone rings and a conversations ensues. Americans spent years debating the best way to get rid of these objectionable additions to any neighborhood. Clearly we’ve given up, as cell phone usage has reshaped the way residents of this globe communicate.
And yet society can’t abide those ugly towers. Slowly but surely, communities and wireless companies began covering up the necessary evils known as cell towers that feed our demand for instant communication.
For instance, in February 2006, the Springdale Planning Commission signed off on plans by Cingular Wireless and First Church of the Nazarene of Springdale to construct a 100-foot cross that doubles as a cell phone tower. The cross / transmitter carries out its duty to this day — and to the surprise of some, does not come across as the stain critics feared it might. Given its placement, it seems perfectly ordinary.
This time around, the cellular cover-up artists are employed by Verizon Wireless, which has come to the Springdale School District with a plan to erect a total of six cell phones towers (at Har-Ber High School, Central Junior High, Parson Hills Elementary, Smith Elementary, George Elementary and Elmdale Elementary ) that would earn the school district $ 72, 000 annually over five years. The idea is to dress each of the towers as proud flagpoles — as high as 100 feet — with Old Glory flying at the top.
On Tuesday the Springdale Planning Commission said no — for now — to the proposal. Commissioners felt the request was much too broad. If approved, it could have given way to disguised cell phone towers on commercial and public properties throughout the city.
It was a valid concern. And apparently there were several others as well. But we can’t help thinking these “ flagpoles” are an inevitable addition to each one of these Springdale schools, and perhaps even to neighboring school districts as well. These creations, once they are up and running, are going to seem just like that cross — noticeable but not so objectionable. Residents will admire them as they ramble down the road. As the years pass, fewer and fewer people will even know what those all-American creations really are — which, again, is the point.
We hate cell phone towers. Few things, in our opinion, are uglier. So this cover-up scheme seems like the best option for dealing with them unless folks are willing to give up their cell phones.
We’ve even become accustomed to the “ pine tree” on steroids that graces Fayetteville’s Crossover Road. Ugly as some say it is, this is one of those rare instances when we prefer the lie. No matter what, that tall, tall tree blends better than a steel tower ever could.
If these towering signal catchers must be some place — and our addiction to our calls, text messaging and mobile Web browsing indicate they must be — it seems reasonable to let our schools benefit financially from their placement. When people say they don’t want higher taxes, that forces school officials to look at other options for revenue. Flag poles that serve as cell towers don’t seem to be asking too much, especially when we all want uninterrupted cellular service.